The Clumsy Optimisthttps://theclumsyoptimist.com
Husband. Mental Health advocate. Frequenter of Emergency Rooms. Trying to find the good in life.
Thu, 29 Nov 2018 19:58:11 +0000 en
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1 http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngThe Clumsy Optimisthttps://theclumsyoptimist.com
March Madness: Breakfast – Our Championhttps://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/04/02/march-madness-breakfast-our-champion/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/04/02/march-madness-breakfast-our-champion/#respondTue, 03 Apr 2018 02:06:39 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=2037Continue reading March Madness: Breakfast – Our Champion]]>What an incredible four weeks of competition. I can’t say it enough guys, this is the most fun I have on this site every year and I cannot thank you all for voting time and again. I really do look forward to this every year now and I hope you all do as well. Ok, enough wasting your time, on to our tasty champ!

We had one technical Cinderella 9 seed make the ship, but that was probably an under-seed on my part. The 4 seed on the other side was always going to be a tough out – tacos in all of their forms are amazing. How did our Championship round fare? Remember all “scores” are in percentage.

Championship

We have had a pretty competitive tournament this time around, which was nice. Some of the favorites went down early and we had a few surprises along the way.

Pastries Region 9 seed Texas Style Kolaches journey to the championship game started with an 82-18 drubbing of their Polish/Czech style cousins. The Round of 32 was a tougher draw as they knocked out the 1 seed Glazed Donuts 58-42. The Kolaches then rolled through their Sweet 16 match-up against Danishes 86-14. The biggest surprise of the tournament happened when they took out a 3 seed Cinnamon Rolls in the Elite 8 that made it through the first 2 rounds with 100-0 victories and had only given up 4 votes the entire tournament via a 1 vote victory, 53-47. They had no problem with Lucky Charms in the Final 4, winning 62-38.

Our other contender had a remarkably similar path to the championship. Eggs/Meats/Fruits Region 4 seed Breakfast Tacos / Burritos came into the tournament hot, knocking off Fruit 91-9. The Round of 32 was a tight match-up on this side of the bracket as well, with a 58-42 win over Bacon. They went up against the Eggs/Meats/Fruits Region 1 seed Fried Eggs in the Sweet 16, winning easily 86-14. The Elite 8 was another breeze round for our 4 seed as they beat down their English Muffin and Bread based brothers Breakfast Sandwiches 82-18. Our Tacos and Burritos came up against their hardest competition in the Final 4, eeking out a 1 vote victory against a tough Pancakes squad 52-48.

I kept an eye on this championship game this weekend and it was back and forth early, but one of the competitors found their swagger and ran to the championship win. Texas Style Kolaches gave Breakfast Tacos / Burritos all they had, but the eggs, meat, and veggie filled tortillas were just too much as out Eggs/Meats/Fruits Region winner was victorious via a 75-25 margin.

Thank you all again for taking time to vote in this tournament. I hope this thing was as fun for you as it was for me. We’ll do it again next year! I’m looking for ideas for next year’s bracket and if you have any suggestions, feel free to get in touch with me on Facebook or Twitter.

After knocking 64 delicacies down to a final Champion, our completed bracket looks like this:

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/04/02/march-madness-breakfast-our-champion/feed/0josuenachosBreakfast Bracket ChampionMarch Madness: Breakfast – Championship Roundhttps://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/29/march-madness-breakfast-championship-round/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/29/march-madness-breakfast-championship-round/#commentsFri, 30 Mar 2018 01:37:56 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=2034Continue reading March Madness: Breakfast – Championship Round]]>Guys, I can’t believe another year and bracket are ending. This year has been surprising and a great bracket. I feel like we landed on a great Final 4 and from the looks of voting, a fantastic Championship game. Let’s see how the winners of each region fared in the Final Four and who will face off in the Championship!

Semi-Final #1

3) Lucky Charms vs 9) Kolaches – Texas Style

The 3 seed Lucky Charms was facing an uphill battle here. Not everyone eats cereal, but most people like bread and breakfast links. The magically delicious Cereal Region champ started out strong, but ended up a few votes short being knocked out by the Pastries Region champ and Cinderella 9 seed Texas Style Kolaches 62-38.

Semi-Final #2

2) Pancakes vs 4) Breakfast Tacos/Burritos

This Semi-Final was much more interesting. Two all-time great breakfasts. There was really no wrong answer here. The Eggs/Meats/Fruits Region champ 4 seed Breakfast Tacos / Burritos and the Oats/Breads Region Champ 2 seed Pancakes were in a knock down drag out deathmatch. It came down to 1 vote as Breakfast tacos/Burritos knocked off the higher seeded Pancakes 52-48.

For the second year in a row we have a 9 or higher seed in the Championship. Neither of these winners are a shocker, but Kolaches has made a run many didn’t see coming. They had close wins in the 2nd and 4th rounds vs Glazed Donuts and Cinnamon Rolls respectively. Breakfast Tacos/Burritos had flown through the competition until their Final 4 fight against a very strong Pancakes team. This should be a great final match-up!

I’ll link the poll to the match-up so just click on the match-up to go to the championship poll. Voting for the Championship will open immediately and will close Sunday, April 1 at 5pm.

After the Final Four, our bracket now looks like this:

Championship

Polls are open. Let’s get to voting and see who wins the Championship match-up! Voting will close Sunday April 1 at 5pm. Our champion will be announced on Monday the 2nd. Again, to vote just click on the match-up and it will open the poll.

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/29/march-madness-breakfast-championship-round/feed/1josuenachosBreakfast Bracket ChampionshipMarch Madness: Breakfast – Final 4https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/27/march-madness-breakfast-final-4/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/27/march-madness-breakfast-final-4/#commentsWed, 28 Mar 2018 01:37:54 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=2027Continue reading March Madness: Breakfast – Final 4]]>Well, here we are. We have reached the big time and have our Regional Champions. Overall, we only have one Cinderella delicacy that made the Final 4. Enough of my rambling, let’s get to it!

CEREALS REGION

3) Lucky Charms vs 5) Cocoa Puffs

Outside of a very close 1 vote victory over Cinnamon Toast Crunch, the 3 seed Lucky Charms has had their run of this tournament. That continued this week as they won the Cereals Region over Cocoa Puffs 73-27.

OATS / BREADS REGION

2) Pancakes vs 5) Biscuits (and Gravy)

Pancakes has been rolling in this tournament. Biscuits and Gravy got out to an early lead that looked like it was going to be the one to take the cakes down. But in the end, our flapjack heroes came back strong winning the Oats / Breads Region 63-37.

EGGS / MEATS / FRUIT REGION

4) Breakfast Tacos/Burritos vs 10) Breakfast Sandwich

This was the match-up I was most excited for. It turned into a bit of a snoozer as the 4 seed Breakfast Tacos/Burritos laid the beat down on their English Muffin and bread based kin the 10 seed Breakfast Sandwich 82-18.

Thank you all again for taking time to vote on these match-ups. We have the winners of each breakfast region and I’m really not mad at any of the champs. A little surprised by Kolaches over Cinnamon Rolls, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot about yall again through this bracket.

A 2, 3, 4, and 9 seed in the Final Four. These are a couple of very good match-ups in the Semi-Final round.

Links to the Final 4 polls are under the bracket. One vote per person per match-up. Click on the match-ups and the poll should open.

That leaves our bracket looking like this:

Final 4

Semi-Final #1

Semi-Final #2

Let’s get to voting! Guys, these match-ups are so good. Good luck making your decisions. I can’t wait to see who makes the championship! Again, voting for the Final 4 will be today through Thursday. Championship round voting will be Friday through Sunday with the Champ announced on Monday.

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/27/march-madness-breakfast-final-4/feed/1josuenachosBreakfast Bracket Final 4March Madness: Breakfast – Elite 8https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/26/march-madness-breakfast-elite-8/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/26/march-madness-breakfast-elite-8/#respondMon, 26 Mar 2018 13:11:48 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=2023Continue reading March Madness: Breakfast – Elite 8]]>We’ve reached the Elite 8. The Regional Finals of our Breakfast Bracket is already upon us. The Sweet 16 had some great games that sent some of our favorites home.

A bit of housekeeping – Easter is right in the middle of the tournament this year, so our voting will be a little condensed this week. Voting for the Elite 8 will be Monday and Tuesday, Final 4 will be Wednesday and Thursday. Championship round voting will be Friday through Sunday with the Champ announced on Monday. Let’s get to it!

PASTRIES REGION

OATS / BREADS REGION

EGGS / MEATS / FRUIT REGION

Let’s get to voting! Guys, these match-ups are impossible to pick. Good luck making your decisions. I can’t wait to see who moves on! Again, voting for the Elite 8 will be Monday and Tuesday, Final 4 will be Wednesday and Thursday. Championship round voting will be Friday through Sunday with the Champ announced on Monday.

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/26/march-madness-breakfast-elite-8/feed/0josuenachosBreakfast Bracket Elite 8March Madness: Breakfast – Sweet 16https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/22/march-madness-breakfast-sweet-16/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/22/march-madness-breakfast-sweet-16/#respondThu, 22 Mar 2018 13:00:10 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=2012Continue reading March Madness: Breakfast – Sweet 16]]>We’ve made it through the first two rounds of the tournament and the decisions just keep getting more difficult. There were some massive upsets and many closer than I thought they would be match-ups in the Round of 32. Eleven of the sixteen match-ups in the Round of 32 came down to one or two votes. These brackets are always surprising to me in the best possible way. Here’s how it all shook out:

CEREALS REGION

1) Fruity Pebbles vs 9) Honey Nut Cheerios

Man. I did not see this coming at all. In our first 1 seed to go, my #1 Fruity Pebbles went down to the 9 seed Honey Nut Cheerios by one vote 53-47.

5) Cocoa Puffs vs 13) Rice Krispies

In our second 1 vote win, the 5 seed Cocoa Puffs won over a tough 13 seed Rice Krispies 53-47.

OATS / BREADS REGION

EGGS / MEATS / FRUIT REGION

Let’s get to voting! There are some fantastic match-ups that I cannot begin to figure out how I will vote. Good luck making your decisions. I can’t wait to see who moves on! Voting will end Sunday March 25 at 5pm and the Elite 8 will begin on Monday.

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/22/march-madness-breakfast-sweet-16/feed/0josuenachosBreakfast Bracket Sweet 16March Madness: Breakfast – Round of 32https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/19/march-madness-breakfast-round-of-32/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/19/march-madness-breakfast-round-of-32/#commentsTue, 20 Mar 2018 00:25:47 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=2003Continue reading March Madness: Breakfast – Round of 32]]>The first round is done! While it wasn’t as crazy as the first weekend of actual March Madness, there were still some major upsets. There were four match-ups that came down to one vote and four match-ups that ended in a 100-0 score. Thanks to everyone who voted! There were some shockingly tough decisions in the first round. A bunch of my favorites went up against each other right out of the gate and it definitely does not get any easier from here on out. The second round begins now and voting will end Wednesday March 21 at 5pm Central.

But first — Let’s get on to the results! Remember all “scores” are percentages from voting.

CEREALS REGION

1 Fruity Pebbles vs 16 Raisin Bran

Unlike UMBC taking down a 1 seed for the first time in history, the 16 seed Raisin Bran came up one vote short, falling to the 1 seed 52-48. This was way too close for my personal favorite.

8 Cheerios vs 9 Honey Nut Cheerios

The battle of Cheerios came out as expected with the 9 seed Honey Nut Cheerios knocking off the original 69-31. Nice.

5 Cocoa Puffs vs 12 Special K Red Berries

Cocoa Puffs took out my favorite “healthy” cereal as they beat Special K Red Berries by a score of 64-36.

4 Cap’n Crunch vs 13 Rice Krispies

Our first upset of the breakfast bracket comes as the 13 seed Rice Krispies (celebrating it’s 90th anniversary this year) knocked out the 4 seed Cap ‘n Crunch 64-36. This one was surprising to me in all the ways that make me glad to do this bracket every year.

This match-up is near and dear to my heart. I love both of these cereals and can’t wait for October every year to get me some Franken Berry. In our second match-up that came down to 1 vote, Apple Jacks moves on with a 54-46 victory.

A run away win for Frosted Flakes with a 75-25 win over Life. I guess only Mikey liked it.

2 Cinnamon Toast Crunch vs 15 Fruit Loops

The best cereal of my childhood moves on to the second round when 2 seed Cinnamon Toast Crunch put the beat-down on the 15 seed Fruit Loops 73-27.

PASTRIES REGION

1 Donuts – Glazed vs 16 Strudel

Glazed Donuts were denied a 100-0 opening round win by one vote. The final score was Donuts – 92 Strudel – 8.

8 Kolaches – Polish/Czech Style vs 9 Kolaches – Texas Style

The 9 seed Texas Style Kolaches beat their fruit and cream cheese flavored cousins by a final score of 82-18.

5 Donuts – Jelly vs 12 Éclair

The battle of delicious filled pastries was an upset as the 12 seed Éclair takes out the 5 seed Jelly Donuts 70-30.

4 Danishes vs 13 Empanadas

Danishes found a way to a win over Empanadas 64-36. It’s the right call.

6 Bear Claw vs 11 Cronuts

The newest addition to pastries region, the Cronut, put up a good fight, but ultimately fell to the Bear Claw 60-40.

3 Cinnamon Roll vs 14 Pecan Spinwheels

So I used to eat Pecan Spinwheels almost every day before school. They will always be a favorite treat of mine. They were unfortunately murdered by Cinnamon Rolls in our second 100-0 win of the tournament. RIP Spinwheels.

7 Pop Tarts vs 10 Muffins

I thought Pop Tarts had this one. I was mistaken. The 10 seeded Muffins pulled the minor upset, winning 73-27.

2 Donuts – Chocolate vs 15 Crêpes

In an upset I in no way saw coming and the biggest upset thus far, the 15 seeded Crêpes pulled off a miraculous 1 vote victory moving on with a 54-46 win.

OATS / BREADS REGION

1 Waffles vs 16 Banana Bread

Waffles had a much harder time with the 16 seed than I anticipated, beating Banana Bread by a score of 58-42.

8 English Muffins vs 9 Toast

Our final 1 vote victory was recorded by the 9 seed Toast over English Muffins, winning 56-44.

5 Biscuits (and gravy) vs 12 Oatmeal – Fruit Flavored

Probably the favorite to pull off a tournament victory from the 5 or higher seeds, Biscuits and Gravy knocked out the 12 seed Fruit Flavored Oatmeal 89-11.

4 French Toast vs 13 Energy/Grain Bars

French Toast easily knocked out the 13 seed Breakfast and Energy Bars 90-10.

6 Bagels vs 11 Grits

This makes me a bad Southerner, but I can’t stand Grits. I know, I know. And I am not apologetic about it. So I was pleased to see that Bagels kicked them to the curb 80-20.

3 Hash Browns vs 14 Croissant

Croissants are perfect bread. Everyone knows this. But they stood no chance against the 3 seed Hash Browns, who won 70-30.

7 Oatmeal – Maple & Brown Sugar vs 10 Oatmeal – Plain

Plain Oatmeal is gross. I said it. It appears you all agree with me as delicious, delicious Maple & Brown Sugar came out with the 3rd 100-0 win.

2 Pancakes vs 15 Coffee Cake

The 2 seed Pancakes are moving on after dubbing the 15 seed Coffee Cakes 90-10.

EGGS / MEATS / FRUIT REGION

1 Eggs – Fried vs 16 Hard Boiled Egg

Our final region got started off with the 1 seed Fried Eggs knocking out Hard Boiled Eggs 80-20.

8 Sausage Patties vs 9 Sausage Links

In the great breakfast argument of my household, I emerge victorious as the 8 seed Sausage Patties knock off their inferior Linked brethren 70-30.

5 Bacon vs 12 Eggs Benedict

Trendy pick to win the whole thing Bacon was given a run for it’s money, but came on late winning over the 12 seed Eggs Benedict 70-30.

The only 11 seed to win this year, Heuvos Rancheros beat the 6 seed Canadian Bacon 67-33.

3 Eggs – Scrambled vs 14 Quiche

Scrambled eggs had no problem dispatching the 14 seed Quiche 80-20.

7 Ham vs 10 Breakfast Sandwich

It was never a fair shake to have ham go up against Breakfast Sandwiches that may or may not have ham in them, but that’s the way the bracket shakes out sometimes. Ham was on the losing end of our 4th and final 100-0 match-up.

2 Omelet vs 15 Sausage Gravy

I wasn’t sure to even have Sausage Gravy in the tournament because I’m not positive if anyone eats just Sausage Gravy by itself. Well, it was the right call as the 15 seed gave our 2 seed Omelets all they could handle. Omelets move on the the second round by a final score of 60-40.

EGGS / MEATS / FRUIT REGION

Alright everybody, let’s get to voting! See you guys on Thursday with our Sweet 16!

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/19/march-madness-breakfast-round-of-32/feed/1josuenachosBreakfast Bracket Round of 32March Madness: Breakfast – Round of 64https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/15/march-madness-breakfast-round-of-64/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/15/march-madness-breakfast-round-of-64/#respondThu, 15 Mar 2018 17:44:51 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=1990Continue reading March Madness: Breakfast – Round of 64]]>Welcome back everyone! It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since we began our second bracket that crowned The Sandlot as our champions of the Best Sports Movie Bracket. Our first champion was in the music bracket where The Beatles reigned victorious. Our 2018 bracket will be near and dear to my heart as we to find our favorite breakfast food.

This was…..harder than it should have been. As usual, we tried to keep the personal biases as little as possible, but of course we made some decisions based on our personal likes and dislikes. Like previous years, “scores” will be posted as the percentages from the polls.

I’ll set up polls in each round. To keep from completely swamping everyone’s Facebook and Twitter timelines, I’ll post the polls here and put a link up at the start of each new round on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. *Shameless plug* Give me a follow!

We didn’t have any play-in games for the first time in a while this year. You think that there are hundreds of breakfast foods until you try grouping them. Only the Cereals Bracket needed to be pared down. This was done by the very scientific method of asking some friends, family, and their kids to pick the last 5 in (I had 11 cereals that were non-negotiable).

For the sake of transparency — it’s incredibly important when talking about breakfast foods on a blog for sure — here are the TWELVE (I know) cereals I had to cut to knock the bracket down to 16.

Kix

Cocoa Pebbles

Trix

Chex

Corn Flakes

Cookie Crisp

Mini-Wheats

Honey Bunches of Oats

Honeycomb

Honey Smacks

Kashi

Wheaties

Personally, Honeycomb, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Cocoa Pebbles were tough cuts. So this bracket is set up into a “Cold Foods” side and a “Hot Foods” side. On the Cold side, our regions are Cereals and Pastries. The Hot side gives us Oats / Breads and Eggs / Meats / Fruit.

So here is what you all came for — the final 2018 March Madness Breakfast bracket. Some delicious foods didn’t make it and I know you may have issues with the seeding – please take it easy on me. I know I say this every year, but it seems especially silly this year for some reason. Breakfast foods shouldn’t be controversial, but I would put nothing past the internet.

The first round of voting will start Thursday March 15 and voting will close Sunday March 18 at 5pm. The second round will begin on Monday. Starting with round 2, new rounds will begin on Mondays and Thursdays. This should be a lot of fun!

Links to the first round polls are under the bracket. One vote per person per match-up. Click on the match-ups and the poll should open.

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/15/march-madness-breakfast-round-of-64/feed/0josuenachosBreakfast Bracket Round of 64Unexplained Rankings – Horror Flickshttps://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/08/unexplained-rankings-horror-flicks/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/08/unexplained-rankings-horror-flicks/#respondThu, 08 Mar 2018 21:36:48 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=1987Continue reading Unexplained Rankings – Horror Flicks]]>I know it’s been 8 months since I have put anything on this site, but I got lazy, and then there was a hurricane, and then I got forgetful. But I’m back, baby! It’s almost time for the 3rd annual bracket to kick off next week. I am super excited and hope you all are as well. To get back into the swing of writering, I’m just going to rank things sometimes. No reasoning beyond “This is a thing I like more than this other thing”. Up first – horror movies.

A friend at work asked where I would rank John Carpenter’s The Thing and I said definitely not top 5, but maybe top 10. That’s how this whole thing started. Next thing I knew, I was 40+ movies deep. The lunch break today was…well…different.

There were six films that I have not seen yet, but have heard great things about and they very well could have ended up on this list. Those six are:

The VVitch

Cabin in the Woods

It Comes at Night

Raw

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Black Sunday

With that said, here is the list. If it was a series of movies (like The Conjuring films, I just counted them as a whole). Let’s argue about rankings and what I forgot in the comments!

50

The Wicker Man

49

House of Wax

48

Paranormal Activity

47

Child’s Play

46

Trick ‘r Treat

45

Scream

44

You’re Next

43

Drag Me To Hell

42

Session 9

41

The Hills Have Eyes

40

It

39

Suspiria

38

It Follows

37

The Omen

36

30 Days of Night

35

Freaks

34

Saw

33

Insidious

32

Nightmare on Elm Street

31

The Babadook

30

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

29

28 Days Later

28

Pan’s Labyrinth

27

Don’t Breathe

26

Carrie

25

Dawn of the Dead

24

The Descent

23

10 Cloverfield Lane

22

The Ring

21

Friday the 13th

20

[REC]

19

Sinister

18

The Others

17

The Conjuring

16

Black Christmas

15

Night of the Living Dead

14

Let The Right One In

13

Halloween

12

Split

11

Poltergeist

10

The Thing

9

Rosemary’s Baby

8

Get Out

7

Alien / Aliens

6

Silence of the Lambs

5

The Shining

4

Evil Dead / Evil Dead 2

3

Texas Chain Saw Massacre

2

Psycho

1

The Exorcist

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2018/03/08/unexplained-rankings-horror-flicks/feed/0josuenachosFeel Good Friday – Good Doggohttps://theclumsyoptimist.com/2017/06/30/feel-good-friday-good-doggo/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2017/06/30/feel-good-friday-good-doggo/#respondFri, 30 Jun 2017 23:11:00 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=1932Just a short video to brighten your Friday. Jake here helped out some thirsty umpires at the Fort Wayne TinCaps game. Minor League baseball continues to be the best. Jake is a very good boy.

]]>https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2017/06/30/feel-good-friday-good-doggo/feed/0josuenachosFeel Good Friday – Warrick Dunnhttps://theclumsyoptimist.com/2017/06/02/feel-good-friday-warrick-dunn/
https://theclumsyoptimist.com/2017/06/02/feel-good-friday-warrick-dunn/#commentsSat, 03 Jun 2017 03:15:24 +0000http://theclumsyoptimist.wordpress.com/?p=1892Continue reading Feel Good Friday – Warrick Dunn]]>Over the past few months I’ve had some difficulty focusing on the positives in life. Sometimes things get tough and human nature is to really hone in on what’s going wrong or emphasize times that you may not live up to your potential or personal expectations. Optimism and happiness are taken hostage by cynicism and anger.

Sometimes we have the tendency to really notice the small bad things and let them pile up until we forget to look for the good in the world. I’m going to try to get better at really looking for them. My hope is to make this a weekly post where I can find a story that brings hope to the world. To find humans doing good deeds for other humans, or the planet, or just feel good stories.

This week’s Feel Good Friday lands on the broad shoulders of a retired NFL running back named Warrick Dunn. Warrick played for 12 years, splitting time between Tampa Bay and Atlanta. A three time Pro-Bowler who ended his career with 10,000+ yards. I always enjoyed watching him play, but little did I know that he also had true talents off the field giving back to his communities.

He started the Warrick Dunn Charities during his rookie season and works with Habitat for Humanity to provide houses for single parent families in need. Not only do they provide the houses, but Warrick Dunn Charities furnishes the houses before the family moves in.

There is a great story about new Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson’s family when he was young. The Watson’s were living in public housing when his mother applied for a Habitat home. She was selected and it was coordinated thought Dunn’s Charity. Deshaun went on to win a National Championship at Clemson and was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Watson said the home gave him a chance to get out of difficult surroundings and start moving toward the goal of being in the NFL. He has already begun working with Habitat for Humanity to pay it forward.

Over the course of the past 20 years, Warrick Dunn Charities and Habitat for Humanity have built 155 homes together. One dream of helping people who need it the most has completely changed the lives of 155 families. As ESPN’s Peter Burns said, he deserves as much press as possible.